Do you have a good air compressor? Because if not, that is part of your investment. Most smaller plasma units need 4-7 SCFM at 80-100 psi, to operate effectively. A lot of portable compressors are over rated and won't effectively run a plasma. Or won't run it very long.

 

Air... and very clean, dry air.... filtered and dry before it hits the filter on the machine.

 

A couple of thoughts for you:

1. You can cut metal that thin with an ordinary jig saw, or circular saw.
2. Hypertherm and Thermal Dynamics are the "Cadillac" plasma cutters IMO. If I was spending the money this is the way I would go.
3. Lots of people swear by the cheaper chinese units, but some of those don't do "drag" cutting, meaning you have to stand the torch off from the metal being cut. Primeweld and Amico seem to be popular low end machines.

 

Thanks. I do most of my cutting now with a cutoff wheel and jigsaw, but I'd like to add plasma to my arsenal.

What about amps? When they claim to cut 1/4", do they do it affectively?

 

How neat does your cutting need to be? If you expect it to be clean and ready to weld, you may be further ahead with a cutting disk as Louie suggested. Getting clean cuts from a plasma depend on both the quality of the machine, and much like O/A cutting, your skill level. I've played around with my cheap Chinese plasma occasionally for a couple yrs now, but I can't say my cut quality is really great. Mostly I use it to remove larger pieces from scrap so I can bring it in the shop and prep it properly. Grinding my crude cuts smooth would often take as much grinding as just cutting it with a zip disk on thinner pieces of metal.

 

Just to add to this, because air is 79% nitrogen, plasma cutting deposits nitrides in the edges of the metal where you cut with a plasma. This can have the effect of hardening the metal and interfering with the welding process. A lot of folks recommend that you should remove this nitride layer before welding. So the plasma cut steel normally shouldn't go right from cutting to welding

https://www.thefabricator.com/thefa...icle/plasmacutting/how-metal-fabricators-can-achieve-plasma-cut-edge-perfection

 

If 1/8th inch is really your max, I think any cutter 25 amps and up would work. I would look for a decent 40 amp drag unit like the Hypertherm 30XP or the Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 42. But then again I like high end stuff. Buy once, cry once. What are you actually cutting? Lots of straight edges or lots of intricate patterns? If all you are doing is cutting straight cuts, I would look at this saw instead: https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/6370-20

 

As for the search function, others have said to type Welding Web and your question into Google and you'll probably get where you want to be faster.

I think we're giving you the same answer... 40 amps in a quality machine, 50 in a cheapy... probably a little overkill but better than being disappointed.

 

Curious.... what was your issue with the HF start?

 

It was randomly unreliable for starting the plasma arc, even on perfectly clean steel with 100% millscale removed. I at times had to touch the nozzle on the edge (at a slight angle) to get the arc to start so it would foul up the nozzle faster than I had liked, and at times, created undesirable start-shapes to the cut.

 

30xp is a great home machine. it cuts through 3/8 and 1/2 no problem although if i were cutting 1/2 all the time i would get the 45xp. even 3/4 it will cut but you have to slow down quit a bit (as expected). but for once in a while it will handle 3/4. the only negative i would say about the 30xp is it doesnt use quick connects which isnt a big deal if you keep it on a cart but i keep mine in the storage box tucked away under the table. not having quick connects makes it a bit more cumbersome taking it in and out of the storage box but i dont use the machine that much so its not the end of the world in that regard. if you dont mind not having the quick connects then 30xp is great for home use

 

It gets back to my question on what you expect for cut quality. When I look at what comes off the plasma tables of PSA or even Courtjester's homebuilts, does my $300 hand held cut look like that? Nope. Probably wouldn't if I had the $4k unit either. That cut has the amperage, air pressure, height and speed all determined by a computer and my shaky old hand isn't going to do the same job. Skill level is going to be a factor and if that's what you expect from yourself with only occasional use, you'll probably be disappointed. The machine I wanted was $4k... the machine I got was $300 because it was only for occasional use. It may not do the same quality job but it does the job I need done and it sure has saved me a pile of money on O/A.

 

Not having used one, I'm not sure what to expect as far as quality of cut. My main thought on use is more for roughing out odd shapes. Stuff that is a pain to cut out with a cutoff wheel. I guess I didn't think about it being a "finish cut" tool.

 

High freq arc start has zero to do with if a machine will start on rusty metal .Also Real machines still use them in 100/200 amp units.. Tends to be the most reliable starting system for CNC machine when used for production cutting..

16ga/1/8 very little to be gained over a cheap import or high quality USA built unit in cut quality. If you can pull the torch smoothly that is. If you don't want to spend $1500 on a USA unit new, than maybe a low cost import makes way more sense.. It sure does not take long to get your money back on the on the cheap units.

 

I don’t think there is a better unit for the money that performs very well, as the PrimeWeld Cut 60. I have one, and am extremely happy with it!

 

Here this fit most weekends warriors needs and then some. Got one in the shop very handy

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052OX87...90734872-2-753463303.1692473808&linkCode=ogi&psc=1&tag=shopperz_origin1-20&th=1

 

I have the red version without pilot arc. Not a bad machine, but even with good dry air I burn through consumables. At least they are cheap. That is my hand held. Also have the Razorweld 45 on my table. This one doen't use consumables nearly as bad and also uses Hypertherm consumables ( they tend to last longer ). So my nickel's worth of free advice is dual voltage for a hand held, 30 and 50 amps respectively. Consumable availability (I have to order some, others are available at the local supply store for same basic price). AIR... Dry and Plentiful. I am no master welder/plasmaO/A operator but I am cheap. These are things I learned the "hard" way. I read a lot of posts here, talked to my weldors at work, and just sucked for a long time. Now I only stink at running them.

 

OP,
Are you plasma cutting dimensional pieces, or will it be more artistic? Are you doing it all by freehand, or will you have forms or shapes to trace?
The reason I ask is that the quality of the cut will vary widely based on your torch height and consistent travel speed.
I had a Miller 625 plasma cutter that I used by hand a lot for both dimensional and artistic pieces. I sold that one and ended up with a Thermal Dynamics 51. That machine is very nice as well and seemed to have a narrower kerf.
I still have the TD51 and now also have a Hypertherm 65 that came with my plasma table. The Hypertherm is a great unit but is probably beyond what you need.

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I have the Milwaukee metal cutting circular saw and it is great, for straight cuts. I made up a jig/straight edge setup for cutting flat sheets 4' wide. I definitely got my money's worth out of it. I use it mainly on sheet metal 1/8'' or less. It fly's through 18 gauge. I have cut 1/2'' thick plate with it too. I do have an assortment of blades too.
If you want irregular shapes, A metal cutting jig saw would work too.
A plasma cutter is hard to beat with Hypertherm being the top of line. It depends on how much you want to spend and consider your future use.
That one from Amazon is really inexpensive and they have consumables

 

With a Plasma cutter like other tools the hand that works it is the major factor. The plasma stream removes metal very fast, best to use a guide if you can. There are simple straight line or pantograph type machine you can build shown on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVsHxlQ9nPY&ab_channel=sellyoursoul90
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQUnEU4hdOU&ab_channel=WorkshopFromScratch
other info about Plasma cutting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmNVH1XtWBA&ab_channel=BrandonLund

 

As BD1 mentioned, the Milwaukee metal cutting circular saw is great. I have one as well, and they are awesome, just a bit expensive.
If you are just cutting thinner material like 1/8" you can get Diablo steel cutting blades for a normal 7-1/4" circular saw. That might be a cheap and easy answer.

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As BD1 mentioned, the Milwaukee metal cutting circular saw is great. I have one as well, and they are awesome.

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darn.

I will have to get one just to keep up with you two.....


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Do your homework and try some machines before buying.

You sound like me several years ago when I bought my Miller 375. It is a nice machine and probably I just do not know how to use it but it is the biggest dead money in my shop. I thought it would add a new capability to my shop but I’ll grab a cut off wheel, bandsaw, or jigsaw before my plasma cutter. I spend more time cleaning the cut before I can use the piece than if I’d just cut it another way.

It is handy for cutting expanded metal or demolition of scrap.

 

https://richmond.craigslist.org/tls/d/aylett-milwaukee-hand-saw/7655946552.html

And a blade for it... https://richmond.craigslist.org/tls/d/richmond-milwaukee-metal-cutting/7657096186.html

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Thanks all.

I ended up finding a Lotos like the one linked earlier on Craigs. I'm going to go look at it tonight. Figure it will be worth the $200 to try.

 

I got one of the HF Titanium 45 amp Plasma cutter[FONT=&quot] , I think the thickest i have used it on was 3/8 struggled some, 5/16 and thinner works fine. you will go through the consumables on it , but other than that has been really reliable. if i need to cut out anything bigger i will use my cutting torch. once i wear this one out i might look at the Thermal Dynamics or a Miller. My buddy has a Thermal Dynamics and that thing is a tank , i just didn"t want to spend the money. [/FONT]

 

I got one of the HF Titanium 45 amp Plasma cutter[FONT=&amp] , I think the thickest i have used it on was 3/8 struggled some, 5/16 and thinner works fine. you will go through the consumables on it , but other than that has been really reliable. if i need to cut out anything bigger i will use my cutting torch. once i wear this one out i might look at the Thermal Dynamics or a Miller. My buddy has a Thermal Dynamics and that thing is a tank , i just didn"t want to spend the money. [/FONT]

Ive ordered consumables from this fellow on ebay for my Primeweld cut60. They are a lot better consumables that last longer and fit the Chinese type plasma cutters.

https://www.georgesplasmacuttershop.com/

 

I appreciate the OP’s position as a weekend warrior and occasional user. I have had oxy/acet for many years but wanted to try plasma. I bought a Vevor 520D, with 50amps, but it had serious quality issues, and don’t recommend it.
I found a thread here on WW referencing the Amico APC-70HF and some happy buyers
https://www.amicoelectric.com/produ...-pilot-arc-plasma-cutter-100250v-wide-voltage-80-duty-cycle-1-2-inch-clean-cut/
They show up on eBay as refurbished for $399, and I grabbed one. I really like it. It’s 70amps, but I’ve never needed to turn it up that high, I’ve never had anything thick enough to need it. Normally I use 25 amps and 40psi to cut 1/4”, I used 45’ish amps for 1/2 inch. Cut is clean enough for me... knock the dross off with a light hammer, and good to go.

keep in mind you can’t plug your compressor and a plasma cutter into the same 110V circuit.

 

Glad to hear you're having better luck this time out. My 50 amp Vevor is still going strong, but that's generally the case with Chinesium... luck of the draw. That 70 amp Amico is still on my short list too, I'd like to have something around for the times I want to cut 1" metal. So far I'm doing the heavy cuts with O/A.

 

For hand held machines cutting one inch the (Real) 85 amp to 120 amps will cut at a decent pace.. Meaning as fast or faster than O/A 12 ipm min.. I would start looking at a good designed torch, and consumables at that point too..The cheap China stuff has it's place on ga./etc,, High load/High cost materiel you get what you pay for.. (IMO)Cuting a rusty thick bolt is one thing but a sheet of 1 inch plate is another . I am almost all in on the cheaper little crap too.. :jesterlike $95.00 units):cool2:

 

Further comment on the Vevor CUT520.... which is also a stick welder and HI-Freq TIG machine. I think there is an electrical issue inside it, but it kinda works. I emailed VEVOR and asked to return it, they said “just keep it, we’ll refund you’re money”, and they actually over-refunded. I paid $259, and got refunded $270. I think Vevor is a disorganized Chinese version of the old Sears and Roebuck, they just rebrand stuff and sell everything from power tools to kitchen stuff, and it’s all cheap. Not for professionals, but OK for low budget hobbyists.

I have a camp in the woods where we go on weekends and got this machine for there. I bought nozzles from Harbor Freight with a smaller hole and it works much better. it will cut 1/8”, and sever 1/4”. It is actually a great 200a DC stick welder. It’s perfect for small jobs at this secondary location and if breaks or gets stolen, no big loss. Some people might call this experience a big waste of time and effort, to me it was a learning opportunity with an acceptable outcome.

 

Multi-process with plasma does seem to have a higher failure rate. My plasma is a dedicated machine.

 

If I had the choice to do it again, I would probably get, and learn to use, an O/A rig for cutting before the plasma cutter.

Most-often to least-often, for cutting, I probably use (in this order):
1. Zip wheel on angle grinder
2. Portaband
3. O/A
4. Steel cutting carbide circular saw (Evolution Rage)
5. big stupid noisy slow annoying hungry 15A abrasive 14" cutoff saw
6. Sawzall when I really want to punish my arms
7. plasma when I really want to punish my whole body tripping over power cord, air hose, torch hose, etc etc etc. Somehow using the PC always feels like wrestling alligators. You've got a whole bunch of current going to the plasma cutter and 20A or 30A going to the compressor, and you need to watch to make sure you have enough air pressure/flow -- for what? All I'm trying to do is cut some metal FFS.

Unfortunately, the order in which I purchased these tools was close to the reverse. The Portaband is really my go-to most of the time. It makes great cuts, it's quiet, it doesn't use much power and yet it's fast, it's easy to use, the blades last a long time, it's just an essential tool IMHO. YMMV

Bottom line: If you don't have a Portaband and/or O/A, I would definitely get those before I started shopping for a plasma cutter.

If you get a PC, I would recommend highly the Hypertherm Powermax 45.

 

If I had the choice to do it again, I would probably get, and learn to use, an O/A rig for cutting before the plasma cutter.

Most-often to least-often, for cutting, I probably use (in this order):
1. Zip wheel on angle grinder
2. Portaband
3. O/A
4. Steel cutting carbide circular saw (Evolution Rage)
5. big stupid noisy slow annoying hungry 15A abrasive 14" cutoff saw
6. Sawzall when I really want to punish my arms
7. plasma when I really want to punish my whole body tripping over power cord, air hose, torch hose, etc etc etc. Somehow using the PC always feels like wrestling alligators. You've got a whole bunch of current going to the plasma cutter and 20A or 30A going to the compressor, and -- for what? All I'm trying to do is cut some metal FFS.

Unfortunately, the order in which I purchased these tools was close to the reverse. The Portaband is really my go-to most of the time. It makes great cuts, it's quiet, it doesn't use much power and yet it's fast, it's easy to use, the blades last a long time, it's just an essential tool IMHO. YMMV

If you get a PC, I would recommend highly the Hypertherm Powermax 45.

Aint that the truth!

I've learned to just leave mine connected all the time, so it's ready at a moment's notice; it really is nice and convenient when cutting stuff out of sheet/plate. Tubes/channel definitely not, that's what the 14" carbide Evolution is for. The only other thing I do dislike is the smoke-particulate that has to be evacuated since I have not finished my air filtration setup.

 

I bought a cut 60 this spring, it is never going to replace my oxy acetylene torch.
I do need to get a water separator on it but it seems to go through consumables pretty fast. With out having a drag tip I can't use a piece of angel iron for a guide and the cut on a 5 foot piece of 1/2 plate did not come out close to square.
I'm not knocking it it's great for thin stuff.

 

i elevated my angle iron guide with magnetic standoffs so that the torch ring could ride on it and maintain proper tip height.


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